Clear breach of data protection act as Tanaiste seeks to interfere in Seanad election.

Dan Sullivan, an NUI Seanad panel candidate, has lodged a formal complaint with the Data protection office after it was revealed in the Irish Times that the Minister for Finance, Brian Cowen, had circulated a letter within FF giving electronic access to the NUI panel register containing the personal educational details of over 100,000 graduates of the NUI.

Dan a UL graduate originally from Killorglin, Co. Kerry, seeking to highlight the failure to extend the franchise to those outside TCD and NUI and is also campaigning to oppose the HSE’s introduction of residential charges for disabled adults attempting to live independently. His campaign information is available at www.missteps.ie

Only now that the main government party fears they might lose their majority in the Seanad are they falling over their own legislation in order to reach out to NUI graduates.

“It is remarkable that Fianna is now so concerned about making contact with graduates when it could have put in place measures such as allowing the revenue to send registration forms to graduates based on the PPS/RSI numbers that the colleges have on record.” said Dan. “The government has had plenty of opportunities to fix the register but it is only now that they are fighting for their own political lives that they can be bothered to do anything. “

It is also suggested by minister Cowen that the register be retained by local Fianna Fail members of use in constituency business perhaps including targeted mails shots to graduates when the next local elections come. The government really appear to think that the personal records of Irish citizens are theirs to do with as they wish in order for them to win office. Allowing people to have copies of a confidential document to peruse at their leisure and for their own enjoyment is act of gross misconduct

The NUI itself has not made the register available in this manner online because of concerns about secure access. The NUI should seek to recover the files in the possession of Fianna Fail and if possible access their histories to see if they can ascertain whose copy of the register it is and action must be taken to sanction that those involved. If I had circulated the register in this fashion I would be subject to sanction.

It is a clear breach of the documented understanding under which NUI Seanad panel candidates were allowed to purchase copies of the register for a fee of €149. It would seem that in addition to a breach of data protection legislation that Fianna Fail may also have infringed on the copyright of the documents involved. “Fianna Fail passing around for free what others candidates had to pay for in order to cover the cost of maintaining the registers is pretty rich in my view “, said Dan.

It is even more peculiar that someone would have passed these documents on to a marketing company who it was reported in the Sunday Times sought €5,000 as a “modest” sum for updating and maintaining the register. A feat that could be done for no cost if the data held by the colleges was reconciled with that held by the revenue. It is also unclear what future use the marketing company will put the register to. The findings of the analysis of the register carried out by a direct marketing company would imply that the government should have thought about addressing the real issues with the register rather than mere titillation over people from the early 1900s being on the register.

This matter is made all the more serious as the Office of the Data Protection Commissioner is part of the department of finance, and the letter has been sent by the Minister for Finance. It would seem when the rules are hard or inconvenient the first reaction of the government is to ignore them.

While one of the FF candidates, Sean O’Connor has spent his time and connections with the press making great play of the presence of people who are most likely dead on the register, there has been comparatively little attention given to the decreasing numbers of graduates being added to the register year on year despite the considerable increase in those graduating. In recent years the increase in numbers on the register is around one thousand per year for the entire NUI, yet UCD alone is graduating four times that number each year.

Many candidates are operating with limited finances and have to account for all donations and services rendered to us. Distributing work such as tracking down graduates would be something we would have to pay for, yet Fianna Fail are farming it out to their membership to the benefit of their selected candidates while make no record of the donation of such work.

It would seem appropriate that the lead FF candidates Dr. John Hillery and Sean O’Connor who were intended to be the prime beneficiaries of this intrusion into people’s person record should now consider withdrawing from the Seanad races for TCD and NUI.

ENDS

Yes, it reads weird but I've sent this out as press release to one or two people and will send it more widely tomorrow morning. However you, dear readers, get it first.

My nominators and supporters

I noticed that Shane Ross who running for the TCD panel has made big play of who his nominators are. Amongst them are Willie Walsh, David McWilliams and Sarah Carey.

My nominators and assenters are not quite as well known I suppose, but I think they are quite broadly representative of NUI graduates and regular Irish people generally. They might not be quite the council of ten perhaps rule by the great and the good is something that democracy was designed to avoid.

I would like to acknowledge Professor Don Barry, President of UL who offered to sign up as a nominator. However, I had at that point taken a number of birds in the hand as it were and my list was completed.

I'm not going to name them as I'm the one putting my head in the public eye not them:

My start half were from Killorglin in one way,shape or form

1) I had three cousins in the one family who are NUI graduates but it turned out none of them were on the register thankfully one of their wives was. She is a teacher. From Killorglin

2) Then there was a friend of hers from Killorglin who is also a teacher.

3) The daughter of a former work colleague of my father's, also a teacher. From Killorglin.

4) The brother of a mate from Killorglin who working for a company involved in construction.

5) A mate from school in Killorglin who is a partner in a law firm in Dublin.

6) A work colleague at UL and someone I did some teaching for.

7) A political acquaintance who is probably much better known than I'm ever likely to be. Originally from Meath now living in Dublin.

8) A colleague at UL from Tipperary.

9) A colleague at UL from Carlow.

10) A former housemate and a fellow engineer who is from Westmeath.

I must be doing something right

Interesting to see yet more pieces in the national papers on Saturday on the issue of Seanad Reform this time in the Independent from my fellow Kerryman and then from a TCD candidate in the Irish Times. And also on the cover of the Irish edition of the Sunday Times. Yet the mainstream press appears solid in its steely resolve not to allow some upstart who went to UL be the spokesperson for an issue that affects them directly.

After all who do we think we are? Instead why not give an NUI graduate or TCD graduate a platform to say how they feel our pain and hope that we will go away. Well, I won't, the issue won't and we won't. It is an issue that is straightforward to fix and long past time to fix it. And I suspect everyone knows it.

Not that this issue alone would be sufficient to get anyone elected. However, it would seem that at least some of the candidates are twigging that there is a constituency out there who recognise the urgent need to reform the Seanad and are eager to elect someone who is hungry to get cracking on the work involved. Combine this with the growing possibility of the government lacking a working majority in the Seanad and you get a concerted effort from them not to allow someone from outside the government parties get a seat.

Indeed, I had another NUI candidate call me today to emphasis their personal commitment to extending rights to those of us outside the NUI or TCD. I reckon that as more folks are seeing that there is merit in the points I've been making, the more it will start to everyone's agenda.

Misquoting Gandhi, I think we're possibly in the third phase.

“First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then some fight you while others join you, then you win.”

Recycling old promises for Seanad

Interesting how any number of people are claiming how interested they are in Seanad Reform now that we have an election but they were remarkably silent

Take Joe O'Toole who said in 1997 while campaigning for election that "On the canvass, however, he has discovered the depth of resentment among graduates of universities other than the NUI or Trinity who are not entitled to a Seanad vote. "I agree. Why on earth should votes be restricted to these two universities, one established by a queen and the other by a cardinal. If elected I intend proposing changes.""

Doing something would have made sense even his own perspective of looking to protect his seat as primary teaching graduates of Mary Immaculate and St. Patrtick's Drumcondra can no longer vote. Sadly no action has been taken.

Seanad finances

The Independent News and Media folks have updated their site in recent weeks, and as a consequence appear to have upgraded their search engine too which is quite a good thing. For reasons of naked self interest I had a looksee at what turned up from the archives when I typed in “Seanad” and came across a very interesting article about campaign funding for the NUI Seanad race in 2002. I have to say that the €8,867 that Bernadine received in 2002 would have paid for a hell lot of advertising and printing in today’s prices not to mind how much it bought back then. Interesting that she was in effect getting every ASTI member to cough up for her campaign while suggesting she was putting herself on their behalf.

Another more recent article throws up the issue of money and financial backing again but in different context. Ms. Susan Philips says "...But the university Senators - and there are six in total, three from the NUI and three from Trinity - should ideally be absolutely free from pressure groups, party politics or financial obligations.'"

It might be just that I’m coming from a PAYE background with my dad as a council worker in Kerry but I would have thought the salary of a Seanad member (running at €62,000 for a newbie though many more are apparently on much higher sums) should be more than enough to keep them free from "financial obligations" yet it would appear from her comments that Ms. Philips believes that being terribly, terribly rich is not alone a good thing in politics but that when it comes to the Seanad it is darn nearly a requirement. I suppose it is easy for someone who has the financial clout of Ballyfree Farm behind them to say this.

I’ve paid for my campaign out of my own funds. I’ll post the amounts I've outlaid at the end of the campaign (don’t want people stealing in on my bargains now, do I) and in large part the SSIA has met the bills.

Jim McDaid for Ceann Comhairle

I have a suspicion that the alternative and the independents might pull a fast one to keep FF/Pd government on their toes.

How? By nominating Jim McDaid as Ceann Comhairle. He is none too pleased with the support he got from the FF organisation and it would secure his seat and he could claim that it allows FF to hold 2 there next time out. It would actually suit FF locally in Donegal as they would hold two seats time out. and it would suit McDaid as he would enjoy at least 2 more terms of office and as a dapper dressing gent he may well like the perks of office.

Doing so would strengthen the position of the independents by increasing the FF dependency on them. And I think SF would be inclined to support him in the short/medium term as they must reckon a seat in DNE is off the cards for the moment. They will concentrate on DSW for the time being.

FG+Lab+Grn (77) + SF (4) + Gregory and McGrath (2) = 83 and Jim would either vote for himself or simply abstain.

A Wii has temporarily made its home in my house

Heaven help us all.

Justice

So what do I mean when I say "Reforms to ensure consistency in sentencing and the delivery of real justice."?

I suppose I believe that the balance of the criminal justice system prioritises crimes against property over those against the person. How often do you hear about armed robber getting a suspended sentence? And I think we need to look are refocusing sentencing so that custodial sentences are for those who are violent and a danger to society.

We should explore non-custodial options for non-violent offenders who aren’t a danger to society.

I'm not suggesting that politicians hand down sentences, far from it. I would not like to see the minister for justice or anyone else interfering in court proceedings.

I would suggest the DPP is staffed by professionals and that they should be able to ask for a sentence appropriate to the seriousness of the particular offence compared to the sentencing norms that would be established by reviewing previous sentences. And that is reflective of the nature of the crime committed. However, if you wanted to know what the average sentence for assault was in 1995 there is no point in asking the department of justice as no one had been tracking some ploddingly trivialities like who got how long for doing what. So the department does not know what the norms are because they’re not tracking sentence.

Victims of crime should be consulted and advised of the progress of the case though they should be able to opt out of this if they so choose but we should not have cases where someone is released back into the community without the victims being aware of it. This happens all too often and for victims of sexual crimes seeing their assailant back in their home town without warning is just unacceptable.

if you wanted to know what the average sentence for assault was in 1995 there is no point in asking the department of justice as no one had been tracking some ploddingly trivialities like who got what for doing what.

The aim of the criminal justice system is meant to be summed up in the terms Punishment, Protection of society, and Rehabilitation. Prison on its own makes us as a society feel good but the question remains does it do any good.

It seems odd that whenever alternatives to prison are suggested people lose the plot; whether it is ankle bracelets, curfews, or random testing for drugs. We seem to have both on the left and the right of the political debate a belief that it is prison or nothing. As free citizens we have many rights including the right to liberty which could be curbed in the case of those convicted of non violent offences. Why for example should we not prevent someone from consuming of alcohol if they are convicted of an alcohol related crime?

In combination with this, we need to realise that if we are prepared to spend X millions on prison then we need to commit to similar expenditure on prevention and that means educational opportunities and family supports. Justice is more than just building prisons and introducing new laws. It is about the application of the law.

For an Able Life

I am campaigning for the reversal of the imposition of charges on disabled adults who are living independently. Click for some history.

I guess when my main activism has been concentrated around ensuring that my sister and every other person with a disability is treated in a decent manner just as every other citizen of this republic should be.

I read this piece by Fergus Finlay (updated link now in Irish Examiner archive) in the Examiner* back in April and I was positively seething afterwards. I urge everyone to read Fergus's piece. And please Click the Clamp to the right to sign the petition - >

My sister, who is a year, a month and a day younger than me, is intellectually disabled (as if she didn't have enough to put up with being my sister) and lives quite happily in Killarney, in sheltered housing managed by the Kerry Parents and Friends Association who do a fine job trying to ensure that people in Kerry can live as independently and fulfilling a life as possible. Finding a place close to home was a process of years of fighting mainly on the part of my mother dealing with the various bureaucracies of the state, during which she was placed in Devlin, Co. Westmeath, Mayfield Co. Cork, Tralee and now Killarney.

It now appears that the department of health (which has historically dropped the ball on supports for those with disabilities) is planning to implement the same regime of charges for those with disabilities as for the pensioners in residential care. Which means they will charge disabled people for living in residential settings. And charge them out of their disabled person's maintenance allowance. The DPMA is currently €184 per week which is less than an old age non-contributory pension and about the same as the dole. So if you are on the dole, and live away from home the state will pay you a rent supplement but if you make the same attempt to live independently as a disabled person the state will charge you for the pleasure? And, get this, the state is also planning to apply this new regime retrospectively! They are right now sending bills to the parents of people with disabilities looking for back payments. Can you fucking believe it?

You know one of the most stressful things for parents of someone with a disability is the ever present thought of what will happen when you're gone. This is someone that you love with all your heart but you know that unlike your other children who you will also worry about (worrying seeming to be in the very nature of parenting, and is something that you don't realise until you become a parent yourself or see friends become parents) that your disabled child won't ever be able to fend for themselves completely and they will always need someone to be looking out for them. And when you're gone you hope that your community will care for them and the state which is the community writ large and the mechanism for expressing that care will do what it can.

I actually genuinely thought that Cowen's efforts, particularly in his budgets , were the sign that the issue of treating people with disabilities fairly, and supporting those organisations that work in the area, was now completely part of the mainstream of Irish political life. I thought despite all the other differences I might have with the guy that here is someone that gets it.

I can tell you now that anyone whether from the revenue or the department of health who tries to take or takes by sleight of hand money from my sister will find me on their door beating their fucking head in with whatever comes to hand. When it comes to my sister I will happily get all Timothy McVeigh on you and your place of work.

As Fergus points out unlike the elderly those with disability will almost certainly never have the chance to be members of the work force and accrue money and assets that might be put into paying for their care. Again, I would urge people to read Fergus's piece he manages to be put it much more than I do.

* The examiner has in the last few years become my alternate to the Irish Times, in large part because you can't depend on the Independent to get the days of the week right.

The NUI Stakes are off and running

The horses in the paddocks and as they approach the track itself we will have a quick look over the following runners and riders.

Bresnihan, Valerie: - Social and Human Rights Researcher

A previous runner and also did quite well as I recall.

Brodbin, Shane: - Product Manager

Ex-DCU SU President

Connolly, Mark: - Financial Services Official

Apparently he is very supportive of the government, in fact wanted that on his entry on the ballot paper but did not have any documentation to back it up. Honesty when I saw him in person I thought he was one of Bock the Robber's men from the Blog Awards. Seriously.

Crowley, Liam: - Solicitor

Another man from Puck, Christ people will think we're trying to take over. A director of elections for John "the bull" O'Donoghue on occasion. And a local election candidate for FF in 2004.

Garavan, Mark: - Lecturer and Sociologist

The Shell to Sea representative. I'll bet J/Gerry Cowley never thought when deciding to support him that he would be out of the Oireachtas himself when the election was being held. Sociologist? I thought he had suggested he was some sort of chemical engineer when taking about the pipeline.

Healy, Paddy: - Immediate Past President, Teachers’ Union of Ireland, and Lecturer

Apparently, a brother of Seamus Healy who was TD for Tipperary South until a short while ago.

Hillery, John Anthony: - Medical Doctor

Hogan, Martin: - Green Reform Candidate and Business Mentor

Nice bloke. Can't imagine he is too impressed at Mark Garavan's late declaration.

Kennedy, John Paul Alexander: - Software Engineer; Young Fine Gael
Endorsed Candidate

Lowe, Martina: - Director, GET AHEAD

MacCárthaigh, Dáithí: - Abhcóide/Barrister

Monahan, Oonagh: - Business Manager

NUIG person, is the west awake?

Mullen, Rónán: - Barrister, Teacher, Columnist

Was or is a columnist for examiner or Daily Mail. some suggestion on p.ie that he is supported by the cleric wing of Irish politics. Was with the press office of the Dublin Diocesan Communications Office at one time too.

O’Callaghan, Bernie: - Hotelier

Ó Gógáin, Liam: - Engineer and Lecturer

Father's rights is primarily his focus or so it appears from googling.

O’Riordan, Mary: - Medical Doctor

O’Shea Farren, Linda Mary Patricia: - Solicitor and Human Rights Advocate

Was Nora Owen's programme manager according to the good people at thepost.ie and has a nice address apparently.

O'Sullivan, Bernadine: - Secondary Teacher

Former ASTI President who has run before and came close to unseating Brendan Ryan. Was last time her only real chance? Her campaign may well consist of saying
Benchmarking- bad ICTU - boo hiss and so on.

O'Toole, Joe: - Senator and Educationalist

Educationalist no less! there's posh for ya. Used to be when being a teacher was good enough for our Joe. Still and all he's from Dingle so I won't say anything too bad about him.

Philips, Susan: Political Analyst

Seems to be UCD academic

Price, Brendan: - Biologist, Founder: Irish Seal Sanctuary

Plenty of experience over this course and well aware of intricacies of the process.

Quinn, Feargal: - Senator

A pleasant man to speak with and surely a shoe-in again this time out.

Ryan, Brendan: - Senator and Lecturer in Chemical Engineering

Interesting to see Brendan making a targeted love bomb of engineers. His vote dropped last time out after he had joined the Labour party and run in the general election. Not sure what impact it may have this time.

Sullivan, Daniel K: - Disability Activist and Software Development Researcher.

The above was intended to have read Software Development Researcher and Disability Activist but the box was rather small and once I got Software Development Researcher written I realised I would have write Disability Activist above it for it to fit in the same area. I have some qualms with the word "Activist" too as it speaks to me of folks gathered around a Formica topped table, smoking butts talking about assisting the workers in their struggle to overthrow the bosses. Still it seems to be the vernacular of the times so.

Oh and the flag has been dropped and they're off...

Where could Labour have won?

Reflecting on Tommy Broughan comments and those of others whether in the meeja or the Labour party about the Rabbitte - Labour Strategy got me thinking about where the party could actually have won if they had pursued a more independent path and if as a consequence their % had been up.

In essence that would mean taking votes from FF candidates that would have come from those that would have wanted Bertie as Taoiseach. After all those that wanted Enda would be less inclined to vote for a more neutral Labour.

Kerry South - the key factor here I would reckon was Moynihan-Cronin's decision to retire and then come back. While she was out of the picture others were knocking on doors and saying "vote for me", it is hard to make up that gap once others have gotten the political mind share in a locality.

Meath East - This is a kind of split in that the FG vote seems to have been up too. Was Byrne's vote down to geography? Strange thing is that Fitzgerald's votes did not particularly go anywhere. They just sort of drifted off in various directions.

Dublin South Central - the problem for the Labour party here is the variety of left options who to be honest do not think much of Bertie or Enda. Here people have a choice between the left, the hard left, the far left and the "we're so left we must be right" people.

Wicklow - well, the FG vote was up too so it could be argued that had the Labour party been even more anti FF that they might have secured that vote instead of it going to FG. It has to be said that Nicky Kelly's more recent brushes with the law in relation to driving issues can't have helped.

Tipperary North - more of a problem with the same old face I'm not so sure the locals are all that crazy about the self help crowd O'Meara is involved with.

Dublin North - again another old face though this time the brother. If they had gone for some new in Dublin North instead of the Ryan's regarding it as a fiefdom.

In essence Labour could have been 2/3% higher nationally and not won anymore seats (bar Hannigan I reckon) unless the candidate selection issues about were addressed. In all bar one of these seats it was old familiar faces, perhaps too familiar faces that were running.

So, I think the problem for Labour wasn't the accord it was the failure to prevent FF getting votes instead of Labour's failure to get them.

I'll be FF are glad we don't have E-Voting machines now!

Imagine what the reaction that would have come from many quarters if this result had happened with E-Voting machines in use. I would think that a good many people might have suspected some tampering.

Just goes to show the benefit of some transparency in the democratic process.

How to go about forming an FG lead government.

I know most people will think this belongs in the realm of pure fantasy, but at this point in time we are looking at FG 51 + Lab 20 + Grn 6 = 77

If the PDs decide they have no future as a party then moves should be made to do the following

• Elect Mary Harney as Ceann Comhairle, on the proviso that she would step down in advance of the next election allowing Tony Gregory to be elected as Ceann Comhairle securing his support. It would appear that Mary Harney does not wish to be leader of a party that requires considerable rebuilding and also that she was always planning on leaving the Oireachtas at the end of this the 30th Dail.
• Get Noel Grealish to join FG with the certainty of being an FG candidate for Galway West next time.
• Do a deal with Jackie Healy Rae which includes making one of his sons a Taoiseach's nominee for the Seanad giving him the profile to succeed Jackie next time out.
• Sort out some packages that would satisfy McGrath and Lowry over the lifetime of the government.

That would give FG 52 + Lab 20 + Grn 6 = 78 + TG1 + ML1 + BF1 + JHR1 +FMcG = 83

I would agree that this at this point in time might not seem the most likely of outcomes but those measures should be explored because while they might not result in a government lead by FG this year we may yet see one in the next 2/3 years.

Bev may have to step down inside the next 12 months if the RTe suit for bankruptcy is successful. This would result in a bye election that FG might well win if it were to happen when such a result would lead to a Mayo Taoiseach.

It is noteworthy that while the last few Dails have had no bye elections due to members passing away that some such as Jackie Healy Rae, Mary O'Rourke and Michael Woods are, as the sayings goes, getting on in years indeed all three are over 70 at this point. That is not something I'm exactly wishing for but we need to be realistic about the possibilities that might arise during the lifetime of the Dail.

So I am basically saying that I think that a new FF lead government might well not last 5 years. Of course my predictions on the election results were pretty off the mark so I will hold my hands up and admit my credibility on this might be viewed by some as being weak.

Was this 'the' local general election?

I will post more on this, but it occurs to me that in many ways this was a very local general election.

Minor moments of the election - part 1

1) Seeing SF outpoll the PDs in Dublin North.

2) Seeing RockofCashel being excluded from the 3rd count.

By moments, I don't necessarily mean moments of delight (though the first one certainly was) more that they are moments that will stick in my memory.

Are we all focused on the wrong debate as the turning point of the election?

Given the substantial increase in the FG vote and seat return from that vote and the disappointing performance of the smaller parties, might it be that it wasn't the Leader's Debate part 2 with Bertie and Enda that was the turning point of the election but rather the part 1 version with Pat, Gerry, Michael and Trevor.

Just my initial thoughts.

Dude, was I ever wrong!

That's all I'm saying for now, I'm going to head over to some mates and rehash the whole thing and watch how it unfolds.

Election predictions - the whole shebang

I did the old election prediction thing a while back and I think I'm going to revise it here.

Constituency	Seats	Result of 2002 election	kingkane's Prediction
Carlow Kilkenny	5	FF 3, FG 1, Lab 1	FF: 2 FG: 2 Green: 1 I think that the two Labour candidates are too weak and transfers won't be tight enough to get them the seat especially when geography comes into play.
Cavan Monaghan	4	FF 2, FG 1, SF 1, Ind 1. Rory O`Hanlon FF will be returned as Ceann Comhairle, making this a 4-seater.	FF: 1 FG: 2 SF: 1 Connolly has been a failure on the hospital and Conlon was selected much too late.
Clare	4	FF2, FG 1, Others 1	FF: 2 FG: 2 FG will deny the various FF's the chance to move outside their areas and gain votes. Indo Breen to be squeezed as people want a government.
Cork East	4	FF 2, FG 1, Lab 1	FF: 2 FG: 2 It seems to be forgotten that Sherlock Snr. used to struggle at one for a his seat. Also SF will eat into that vote a bit. So FG to gain in the end.
Cork North Central	4	FF 3, FG 1, Lab 1 Was 5 seats.	FF: 2 FG: 1 Lab: 1 The entry of McCarthy has opened this open .FG should actually sneak it now but more likely it will stay the same
Cork North West	3	FF 2, FG 1	FF: 1 FG: 2 I think the vote management for FF is going to be truly terrible and that will cost them the seat.
Cork South Central	5	FF 3, FG 1, Green 1	FF: 2 FG: 2 Green: 1 Martin won't have the surplus to save Dennehy this time.
Cork South West	3	FF 2, FG 1	FF: 1 FG: 2 FF are content to lose this one as they know O'Donovan could be the sole TD going for reelection in 2012
Donegal North East	3	FF 2, Ind 1. Niall Blaney (Ind) later joined FF.	FF: 2 FG: 1 Blaney to lose out and I'm coming round to the idea that SF might gain here too.
Donegal South West	3	FF 2, FG 1	FF: 1 FG: 1 SF: 1 The Cope to lose out.
Dublin Central	4	FF 2, Lab 1, Ind 1	FF: 1 Lab: 1 Green: 1 Others: 1 FF have made a right mess of this. If they had run just Mary Fitz , they would have held it.
Dublin Mid West	4	FF 1, PD 1, Green 1 Was 3 seats.	FF: 1 FG: 1 Lab: 1 Green: 1 I've changed my mind and now think that Harney's absent landlord bit is going to tell for her in the end.
Dublin North	4	FF 2, Lab 1, Green 1	FF: 1 FG: 1 SP: 1 Green: 1 I now think that Daly will take it. Labour should have found someone younger and earlier to replace Ryan.
Dublin North Central	3	FF 2, FG 1, Ind 1 Was 4 seats.	FF: 1 FG: 1 Green: 1
Dublin North East	3	FF 2, Lab 1	FF: 1 FG: 1 Lab: 1
Dublin North West	3	FF 2, Lab 1	FF: 1 FG: 1 SF: 1 I think that SF will eat into Labour enough that Tormey could get ahead of Shortall.
Dublin South	5	FF 2, FG 1, PD 1, Green 1	FF: 2 FG: 2 Green: 1 Sorry, Liz too inactive and lassiez faire about the whole thing
Dublin South Central	5	FF 2, FG 1, Lab 1, SF 1	FF: 1 FG: 1 Lab: 2 SF: 1
Dublin South East	4	FF 1, Lab 1, PD 1, Green 1	FF: 1 FG: 1 Lab: 1 Green: 1
Dublin South West	4	FF 2, Lab 1, SF 1	FF: 1 FG: 1 Lab: 1 SF: 1 Lenihan to lose out.
Dublin West	3	FF 1, Lab 1, SP 1	FF: 1 FG: 1 Others: 1
Dun Laoghaire	5	FF 2, Lab 1, PD 1, Green 1	FF: 2 FG: 1 Lab: 1 Green: 1 On a really bad day for FF, Andrews could be at risk. But should just hold on.
Galway East	4	FF 2, FG 1, Ind 1	FF: 2 FG: 2
Galway West	5	FF 2, FG 1, Lab 1, PD 1	FF: 2 FG: 1 Lab: 1 Green: 1
Kerry North	3	FF 1, FG 1, SF 1	FG: 1 Lab: 1 SF: 1
Kerry South	3	FF 1, Lab 1, Ind 1	FF: 1 FG: 1 Lab: 1
Kildare North	4	FF 1, FG 1, Lab 1 Was 3 seats. By-election 2005 replaced FF with Ind.	FF: 1 FG: 1 Lab: 1 Others: 1
Kildare South	3	FF 2, Lab 1	FF: 1 FG: 1 Lab: 1
Laois Offaly	5	FF 3, FG 1, PD 1	FF: 3 FG: 2 No more Parlon country
Limerick East	5	FF 2, FG 1, Lab 1, PD 1	FF: 2 FG: 2 Lab: 1
Limerick West	3	FF 2, FG 1	FF: 1 FG: 2 Brennan and Nix to swing it for FG.
Longford Westmeath	4	New constituency. 2002 results for Westmeath: FF 1, FG 1, Lab 1.	FF: 2 FG: 1 Lab: 1
Louth	4	FF 2, FG 1, SF 1	FF: 1 FG: 2 SF: 1
Mayo	5	FF 2, FG 2, Ind 1 Beverly Flynn (FF) later became Ind	FF: 1 FG: 3 Others: 1 Cowley will hang on due to transfers from SF, Lab and Greens. That gets him ahead of Bev.
Meath East	3	New constituency 2002 results for Meath: FF 3, FG 2. By-election 2005 replaced FG with FG.	FF: 1 FG: 1 Lab: 1
Meath West	3	New constituency 2002 results for Meath: FF 3, FG 2. By-election 2005 replaced FG with FG.	FF: 2 FG: 1
Roscommon Leitrim South	3	New constituency 2002 result for Longford Roscommon: FF 2, FG 1, PD 1.	FF: 2 FG: 1
Sligo Leitrim North	3	New constituency 2002 result for Sligo Leitrim: FF 2, FG 1, Ind 1.	FF: 2 FG: 1
Tipperay North	3	FF 2, Ind 1	FF: 1 FG: 1 Others: 1
Tipperay South	3	FF 1, FG 1, Ind 1	FF: 1 FG: 1 Others: 1
Waterford	4	FF 2, FG 1, Lab 1	FF: 2 FG: 1 Lab: 1
Wexford	5	FF 2, FG 1, Lab 1, Ind 1 Liam Twomey (Ind) later joined FG.	FF: 2 FG: 2 Lab: 1
Wicklow	5	FF 2, FG 1, Lab 1, Ind 1	FF: 1 FG: 1 Lab: 2 Green: 1

Election snippets.

Got handed a "Central News" this morning, for a moment I thought the Flash might wheeze by too. In actuality it turned out to be a Fianna Fail newsheet.

Curious thing is there no moment of Mary Fitzpatrick while there are two pictures of Cyprian Brady. The rest is pure Bertie. I have to wonder what Mary Fitzpatrick did to ould Bertie. I've seen her and Cyprian on the box, and she is head and shoulders above him, to be quite honest with you.

And I thought there was some GAA rule about staying out of politics, there are two clubs featured in this particular freesheet. I recall some GAA diktat a month or two back involving a SF candidate somewhere.

Shane McEntee posters are along the North Circular road/New Cabra road. Not as far afield as those of Michael D. Higgins I guess.

Ivor Callely is making a last minute conversion to being a yellow belly supporter, with loads of posters. None which contain the relevant contact details as per the electoral act.

Medical advances & waiting times

Cyprian Brady or someone from FF in the last week was talking about how the medical advances were one of the things the government could count amongst their achievements. I've got to say that in my view unless the state was funding or doing the research themselves then I can't see how they can look for credit for them.

And in there lie some interesting tales I'm sure as to where we should be allocating the real credit for reductions in some of the waiting times for some treatments. Taking just one example, we have grown used to seeing the Taoiseach talking up the reduction in waiting times for cardiac patients but would it not be more accurate to suggest that advances in stents for example are the real reason why people have to wait less time for treatment.

Separated at birth? - Cyprian and Lilly Savage

Senator Cyprian Brady

and

Mr Lilly Savage

Cyprian - to be quite honest with you

Cyprian Brady gave us the "Move forward, not backward, upward not forward, and always twirling, twirling, twirling towards freedom" moment of the election so far on campaign daily today. Also, his astounding use of the phrase of "to be quite honest with you" 6 times so far, makes me wonder what it is he could be so worried about being caught lying on.

And I thought he was meant to be so much better than Royston?

Update, his final total for "to be quite honest with you" was 8 times.

Eurovision debacle

Christ it was bad, a really bad song. And RTe are telling us that the ethnic route didn't work on the night for us. Isn't it kind of strange to be portraying ourselves as this land of peasant folk with flowers in our hair to the various countries of Eastern Europe who we are repeatedly view us as some sort of economic totem.

I still think the one from Georgia was just great.

Candidates can't have time for everyone

It might sound awful but I wonder if voters or more particularly those bloggers commenting on the election have unrealistic expectations about what a candidate can and can't do when on a doorstep with them.

Many will doubtless complain about how candidate X doesn't come all the way to their door and debate in detail the key point of aspect of modern life that is doubtless very important to them as a voter. It is not the case that the candidate whoever they may be feels that your issue is unimportant rather the fact that there are literally ten of thousands doors to call on and only so much time in which to do it.

To hammer home my point let's do some exciting maths! Say a candidate spends 5 minutes at each door. That would be 12 doors maximum per hour. Of course you need to allow the candidate some time to walk between the door of one house and the door of another, it might only be 20 secs but for 30 houses that would be ten minutes and for 300 houses it would be an hour and a half. So that's the micro level what about all the houses?

Taking one example I have reasonable knowledge of there are somewhere in the region of 28,000 houses in Dublin North Central. At 5 minutes expended per door, that works out at 140,000 minutes in total (ignore the 20 sec walk time per house) which is just a bit over 2300 hours. That means it would take just under 100 days going at it 24 hours per day, 7 days per week to spend just 5 minutes at each door.

Now we need to consider the needs of those the candidate is calling on. People do not like someone coming to their door before 10am or after 9pm, and you have to allow an hour during the course of the day to get some grub, a bit of rest and to empty the tanks. Also factor in that people are generally none too keen on anyone coming to call after 7pm on a Saturday or at any time on a Sunday and the available hours are reduced even further. So given a more realistic time of 1o hours per day, you would be looking at closer to 300 days to cover all those doors. And yet they have 25 or so days in which to do it.

Truth is the serious candidates will have called to your door before the election was ever called and that would have afforded people the time and the freedom to raise an issue and have a reasonable expectation of it being looked at. Asking candidate X just 2 weeks before polling day to get something in particular done when they have ten of thousands of doors to call on is just plain nuts. And that goes for advocate organisations emailing requests to candidates too especially if said organisation has no means to publicise if the candidate has gotten back to them or not.

The wrong house

I was quite surprised to see a house other than that of the Taoiseach in the Sunday Times reporting of the story about the Taoiseach's recent difficulties. You can tell it isn't the Taoiseach's house because there isn't a Garda hut in front of it.

As you can see the house at the centre of this image. The hut is to the front, or to the right in this image, of the house. and the image used by the Sunday Times had no such hut. And you can also make out the fact there doesn't appear to be a swimming pool or massive gazebo present that might have cost a large sum of money in 90s terms.

I don't think I'm likely to be facilitating terrorists by linking to it. After all the address is being widely reported in the press.

Withdrawl now for the PDs is like ...

a young gentleman considering it as a contraceptive option shortly before the child's baptism.

Actually hasn't it been about 9 months since Bertiegate 1?

"I have no evidence but I think...."

the Taoiseach is guilty of leaking information to draw attention away from FF's disastrous period in government and also he has locked a number of small illegally imported antelopes in his attic. A pretty outrageous thing to suggest in the middle of an election I suspect you would agree. After all I have no evidence to support my allegation, but I like to think I can say it anyway, now where can I find a national news program to say it on?

Truth is I've not saying that at all.

Actually, it was Noel Ahern, brother of the Taoiseach, who made such an allegation against "someone senior in FG" on the main evening news while admitting he has no evidence. Isn't a large part of the basis for FF's protestations and general indignation at the rumours swirling around the Taoiseach that people are judging the Taoiseach in the absence of real evidence? Yet, it is AOK for members of FF to be making allegations while having no evidence at all !

What do you reckon, is it me? You can click the above and answer a Q&A about me and through that alter the daemon.

Updated buttons from Green Ink

<br /><a href="http://www.petitiononline.com/ablelife/petition.html"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwo9mSxi3UkVUwoXFpOHtFjSCbcdahKMCOBNXNIOT8BdA4CyNDbl4ZxRyM9WY6LTwmSQSTfc5i6EWqmQrLbhzLCWwgW4MKs9SAyJerx5KBT_zf7PND3pA0tBrPGT4ojweGIvfE/s400/indep-living-logo-100.gif" width="100" height="100" alt="Independent Living Petition" /></a><br />

<br /><a href="http://www.petitiononline.com/ablelife/petition.html"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcEqflLzo74BUwvqctTxPWjNK5w17PDMQLDYfRt1vBzpyxz4SDDjxCwqNSSz0BAqD_deVkjbSm5Owh40LKZ2QDtfEBNXOtKuwlX1b6ZDivF8ZI3R3S5K4VZOMK8r8q3T-WdJLU/s400/indep-living-logo-200.gif" alt="Independent Living Petition" width="200" height="200" /></a><br />

<br /><a href="http://www.petitiononline.com/ablelife/petition.html"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS7sxEm_l3VEAmRBSwib_kmlIj625eX8pv7rjAWjd7DI8om1qKBw7PjLiXA5k-r0PEEdLBm2UokWYPwo87iBb2uHP3fPc2TeT5gEo_NVOO_i819jQLgWN0XSWw06fg-lRCKMcA/s400/indep-living-logo-300.gif" alt="Independent Living Petition" width="300" height="300" /></a><br />

We have a button

From GreenInkPen, the discerning blogger's pen.

Click below to access the petition

To add the button to your Bebo/Blog/Myspace

Copy and paste the following code:

<a href=”http://www.petitiononline.com/ablelife/petition.html”><img src=”https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY0QqGb8c0P8Kzd30vbVSMUvosI3hTVeamqdmuu08idX7vDDvUTRlHHBxlSNiDieGkeHuMAPuTzWJSIc28QF92wngwdOYxVCN4rWNtEOpZ7U3RANJOve3YrooPOK2sUDQJ7xen0g/s400/carclamp+copy.gif” alt=”Support independent living for disabled adults”></a>

Support independent living for disabled adults

As some of you might have been aware, I was somewhat enraged to discover that the state is planning to charge disabled adults for living in residential care settings.

So after a weekend in which I suspect I may have calmed down somewhat, I've gotten off my rear and am trying to do something about it.

You can show your support by signing the petition to "Support independent living for disabled adults" and also by raising the issue on the doorstep with all canvassers and candidates.

I am looking at put together a leaflet or a pledge that voters can print off and keep beside their doors and instead of members of the public just receiving literature from candidates perhaps we can give some back and inform them a little bit. Really make politics a real two way street. And I want and would ask that people to do this for candidates of all parties and none. I think everyone contesting the election should be aware of the wrongness of these charges.

Click below to access the petition



And there is a button for your site courtesy of GreenInkPen if you want to demonstrate your support on your site.

To add the button to your Bebo/Blog/Myspace

Copy and paste the following code:

<a href=”http://www.petitiononline.com/ablelife/petition.html”><img src=”https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY0QqGb8c0P8Kzd30vbVSMUvosI3hTVeamqdmuu08idX7vDDvUTRlHHBxlSNiDieGkeHuMAPuTzWJSIc28QF92wngwdOYxVCN4rWNtEOpZ7U3RANJOve3YrooPOK2sUDQJ7xen0g/s400/carclamp+copy.gif” alt=”Support independent living for disabled adults”></a>

From being the meat in the sandwich to being a secret ingredient

What is this obsession with the PDs and food? Eight months ago McDowell was telling us all that the PDs were the meat in the government sandwich, and now they've been relegated by the same man to being some secret ingredient.

It's not like you could hardly call the meat in your sandwich much of a secret. Unless it was a very small piece of meat, and a flavourless piece lacking in texture at that. Perhaps that is what he was getting at.

More on the clowns

I didn't twig that Una Mullaly is in fact Una of Una Rocks. So I withdraw my comments about giving me a ring if she's single as she decidedly taken to the best of my knowledge.

And the Pelican has been in touch with me by mail since I posted (Christ how much like a line from Batman the TV series does that sound?). Seems the Pelican has only just logged into their account today, and discovered a mail dated last Wednesday from Una querying they have copyright clearance for the video. They were out of the country during the week and not checking mail.

I've done some quick searching and it seems this version of "Send in the clowns" is the Judy Collins recording which was a Warner Brothers release and it seems Warner have a deal with YouTube regard the posting of their music. So it's not clear if separate clearance for a posting of the song on YouTube is required. To the best of my knowledge the clip was constructed for use at an FG conference in 2005, and updated slightly for the 2006 Ard Fheis to include McDowell's remark's about Richard Bruton.

I'm not sure if monies would actually need to changes hands for its use on YouTbue but if it were then it would have to be at a rate comparable to what a radio station might have to pay for playing a single tune to a few thousand people. After all YouTube tracks the number who have played the clip, even if they don't track how many have listened to it in its entirety. So how much would that be? I've tried looking at the IRMA site for some information but there isn't any. Perhaps someone from IRMA can tell us what prices they charge?

Willie's back!

This weeks Sunday Independent has a column from Willie O'Dea. So he hasn't gone to ground after all . As this edition of the paper is out after the dissolution of the Dail will it come under the Benefit in Kind form of expenditure during the course of the campaign?

As the entire column is an election broadcast for FF so how can anyone claim is this not a form of free advertising which as to be accounted for in his return?

Send in the clowns - Tribune "attempts" contact.

Strange use of the term 'contact' in the Sunday Tribune today page 11, Una Mullaly writes about the use of copyrighted music in various Youtube clips that political parties and the politically inclined have posted in recent times. She refers in the latter part of her piece to the Send in the Clowns montage piece (we need a montage!.. sorry Team America moment there. I'm all better now). Now there are two main accounts with that clip one of them is mine and the other belongs to someone called BluePelican.

In her piece she says that "The Sunday Tribune contacted the person who posted the video but received no response." I've checked my account this morning and there ain't no mail from the lovely Ms. Mullaly. Of course, if she's single and willing to talk I'm available to talk. The other account which has 2/3 times the hits, and is probably the one she is referring to is BluePelican. I've had a look at Blue Pelican's account on Youtube and the owner hasn't logged into it in 5 months! It's very plain to see if you even glance at their profile.

So I'm not at all sure where the Tribune gets the idea that they have contacted anyone, she would entitled to say that she had attempted to contact the person but failed, however she is not correct to say that she had contacted them.

Its a bit like the local canvassers dropping in the those "Sorry I missed you" cards from politicians when they haven't even ring the doorbell.

I think Richard Delevan who is one of the few people in the DTP on top of the online/webby side of campaigning should have a word with Una about writing stuff that completely undermines the rest of the story. To which there may be some validity.

Eeffing thieving bastards - you'd actually take money from the disabled?

I read this piece by Fergus Finlay (updated link now in Irish Examiner archive) in in Tuesday's Examiner* and I was positively seething afterwards. I would urge everyone to read Fergus's piece and to raise this on the doorsteps with any and all government reps who will be calling over the coming weeks.

My sister, who is a year, a month and a day younger than me, is intellectually disabled (as if she didn't have enough to put up with being my sister) and lives quite happily in Killarney, in sheltered housing managed by the Kerry Parents and Friends of the Mentally Handicapped who do a fine job trying to ensure that people in Kerry can live as independently and fulfilling a life as possible. Finding a place close to home was a process of years of fighting mainly on the part of my mother dealing with the various bureaucracies of the state, during which she was placed in Devlin, Co. Westmeath, Mayfield Co. Cork, Tralee and now Killarney.

It now appears that the department of health (which has historically dropped the ball on supports for those with disabilities) is planning to implement the same regime of charges for those with disabilities as for the pensioners in residential care. Which means they will charge disabled people for living in residential settings. And charge them out of their disabled person's maintenance allowance. The DPMA is currently €184 per week which is less than an old age non-contributory pension and about the same as the dole. So if you are on the dole, and live away from home the state will pay you a rent supplement but if you make the same attempt to live independently as a disabled person the state will charge you for the pleasure? And, get this, the state is also planning to apply this new regime retrospectively! They are right now sending bills to the parents of people with disabilities looking for back payments. Can you fucking believe it?

You know one of the most stressful things for parents of someone with a disability is the ever present thought of what will happen when you're gone. This is someone that you love with all your heart but you know that unlike your other children who you will also worry about (worrying seeming to be in the very nature of parenting, and is something that you don't realise until you become a parent yourself or see friends become parents) that your disabled won't ever be able to fend for themselves completely and they will always need someone to be looking out for them. And when you're gone you hope that your community will care for them and the state which is the community writ large and the mechanism for expressing that care will do what it can.

I actually genuinely thought that Cowen's efforts, particularly in his budgets , were the sign that the issue of treating people with disabilities fairly, and supporting those organisations that work in the area, was now completely part of the mainstream of Irish political life. I thought despite all the other differences I might have with the guy that here is someone that gets it.

I can tell you now that anyone whether from the revenue or the department of health who tries to take or takes by sleight of hand money from my sister will find me on their door beating their fucking head in with whatever comes to hand. When it comes to my sister I will happily get all Timothy McVeigh on you and your place of work.

As Fergus points out unlike the elderly those with disability will almost certainly never have the chance to be members of the work force and accrue money and assets that might be put into paying for their care. Again, I would urge people to read Fergus's piece he manages to be put it much more than I do.

* The examiner has in the last few years become my alternate to the Irish Times, in large part because you can't depend on the Independent to get the days of the week right.

The dead vote scenario

I posted last May about the possible problems that the excessive amount of 3 seaters in Ireland and FF's dominance of the 2nd seats in such constituencies could pose were their national vote share drop into the mid 30s in terms of percentages. Well, the national vote share scenario may be coming to pass if the MRBI poll is the trend of things. I would expect a lot of senior FF figures who have been asked to share their territory reneging rapidly on any commitments given.

For all the talk about PR being a fair system and proportionate and that ever vote counts, it is all to often overlooked that some votes end up not amounting to be much at all. People readily forget that in multi seat PR-STV elections that there is a significant chunk of votes that is left in the possession of the last person standing without a seat in 3 seaters.

And with a minimal spread of candidates selected to ensure that there is no leakage of votes outside your own party you could see further problems in getting someone who is on less than 80% of a quota elected, especially if their running mate is elected without much of a surplus. This can be almost 20% of the vote in 3 seaters. In 4 seaters this danger figure could be 16% and in 5 seaters 13.3%. In those constituencies the presence of so many other candidates would tend to mean that you should be able to pick up some votes. However in places like Limerick West, and Cork South West it would mean candidates who did relatively well losing out and those are high targets for FG. More significantly it could cause problems for FF in Donegal North East, and Donegal South West, costing them 2nd seats that their high preferences vote share might have lead people to think were safe.

Essentially if the seal on the drum is too tight not alone won't it leak but it won't let in any water either.

In praise of posters

I think too people overreact to the sight of election posters. Maybe it was growing up in town with a big festival (All Hail King Puck) but I quite like the extra colour they bring to most towns. And that goes for all party’s posters. I think that some people are actively seeking out things to be annoyed about. Fair enough to complain when posters obscure road signs or are too low and impede pedestrians and motorists. Other than that I think they are a positive contribution and part of the public aspect of our democracy.

The date of the Irish general election

I believe that Bert will called the election early on Tuesday May 1st, having all the other deputies come back to Dublin for the sitting while the FFers get an extra hour in bed and straight onto the campaign trail. It also means that they don't start the election as they would if they call it this week with the MRBI poll as the first spin of the campaign and it could be a bad one. And the Taoiseach was very insistent about calling it in summer 2007 and the 1st of May is the first day of summer.

After covering myself in such glory with my prediction of the French Presidential election I might be better off keeping my thoughts to myself but sure it is what I reckon will happen.

Oh and the date is probably 24th, but he could even go for the 23rd or 22nd. He did say to Harry McGee that he had never mentioned a Thursday.

Where's Willie?

Strangely, no Willie O'Dea in the Sunday Independent today. Where could he be? Hardly running about taking all these posters like the one to the left with his glorious Leader's name wrong on it could he be?

Or were he and a gang up late into the night removing Noreen Ryan's posters since they don't have anyone's name but her own on them.


Or did my other post touch a nerve at Sunday Independent HQ?

Tim O'Malley and the wife-swapping sodomites

or should that be hill-walking suburbanites? Anyway, junior minister Tim O'Malley has been in the local Limerick Press bemoaning the Labour party's proposal that walking access be granted automatically to land that is not being farmed over 150 metres to hill walkers and their ilk. Strangely, the attack from Tim bemoaned the interests of hill walkers from the suburbs overruling those of rural Ireland. This from a man who comes from and lives in a suburban area of Limerick city.

What makes it all the more odd is that anyone familiar with the lie of the land in Limerick would know that it ain't the most mountainy of places. I had a quick look at my ordnance survey map and barring a few hundred acres of the Slieve Felim mountains (a disputed zone with Tipperary I've been given to understand from my sources with the Premier county regime) there ain't a helluva lot over the suggested height of 150 metres.

So why is a minister complaining about something that isn't going to affect any of his constituents? Perhaps the minister was thinking of the Clare hills which as it turns out are in Clare or maybe he thinks that this is a appropriate topic for him to pronounce on in his capacity as minister for Mental Health. Could he be of the view that hill-walkers are not in the best of mental health irrespective of their physical well-being? Does he think it is grounds for detaining participants for their own well being?

French Election Prediction

I dabble in the punditry business from time to time and since the French are having themselves an election to select a new President, and below are my figures. I suspect that support for Sego is weak and Bayrou will surprise by sneaking past her.

Sarkozy - 26%
Sego - 22%
Bayrou - 23%
Le Pen - 18 %
Rest 11%

Time now is 16.15 GMT

Sean Fleming on PrimeTime

A Willie O'Dea for the 21st century? Willie spent years as a backbencher willing and able to try and defend all kinds of government nonsense on behalf of FF, now that he's a minister he can't be doing that sort of thing any more. Well apart from in the Sindo but we've covered that already. However, it seems FF have unearthed a new Willie for a new age, as seen on PrimeTime this evening in the shape of Sean Fleming

Sean found fault with the fact that the FG/Labour plan is dependent on economic performance. Of course it appeared to completely shock him when Richard Bruton reminded him that all such plans and commitments are couched in such language, even the FF plan is dependent on things like growth and the absence of recession. Not that Sean is likely to have read his party's plan. After all when you're a FF backbencher your normal tactic is to promise people whatever they want in the hope that they'll have forgotten about it after the summer.

Sean Fleming then moved on to suggest that the reason for not delivering 200,000 extra full medical cards is down to our economic performance and the fact that not as many people are on social welfare. Yet, if that was the case then why was a number of 200,000 used? Why not say everyone under a a certain income threshold or at a certain percentage of the average industry wage would get a card? They choose the figure of 200,000 and they have to judged on that.

Then he was onto the commitment that all classes for under-9s would be of 20:1 class size. I find it truly bizarre that a government would suggest that the reason for not reaching the class size figure of 20:1 is because of special needs. Was there some explosion of special needs children after 2002 that caught the government unaware? They had been in government for 5 years to that point. Did they not know how many children were in the category of special needs. Of course not, the fact is they never intended on delivering the class size changes. Why? I'm only guessing but what if someone took a look at the nature of the teaching contracts and the allocation of special needs teacher and assistants to schools. I wonder if they would find that their presence is dependent on a certain number of children requiring their assistance. Should those numbers drop then the positions might disappear. Much different to hiring a permanent full time teacher who is assigned to the school for good.

I was a little annoyed (only a little mind) that Katie Hannon, even if she is FF gene pool as she admits herself in her book on the Naked politician, allowed the idea that because most waiting lists for operations are now between 2-5 months that this somehow meets the government promise of 3 months. Also it is worth noting that the clock doesn't start ticking for you being on a waiting list until you see a consultant. So the time you spend between getting sick, seeing your GP and finally seeing a consultant is apparently not waiting at all but some weird kind of limbo. Perhaps someone should get onto the Pope and tell him this is where it ended up!

Willie O'Dea - the unanswered questions

Unanswered because it seems no one in the Dead Tree Press is asking them.

I was drawn a fortnight ago to the Minister of Defence Willie O’Dea's entry in the register of Oireachtas members interest. The minister as many people will know has a weekly column in the Sunday Independent. Now, politicians writing the occasional column or making the odd television appearances is not uncommon nor should it be discouraged. However, a weekly column is a platform for promotion of his electoral chances much like any other piece of advertising and it suggests employment. So why is there no reference to this engagement in his return.

The absence to any reference to his column begs the following questions.

Is the minister actually employed on contract my Independent News and Media and is he paid the going rate for this column? – and why is this not listed on his return?

If not then does he pay a market rate for the advertising space he is being given to convey his political message to the public each week?

If not then this space is being given as a gift from Independent New and Media to the minister and why was it not noted as such on his return?

Those are the only real options.

A senior minister takes up an offer of assistance from a major commercial organisation. An offer that will assist his re-election chances and he then doesn’t declare it in his entry of the register of Oireachtas members’ interests. You would think that this would be headline news, right? Well, while we’ve had the usual prurient interest in who owns how many houses and perhaps the exotic shareholders of some Oireachtas members, there are been no mention of this cosy relationship.

Why is this? It would seem that we have a media that will, rightly in my view, highlight any and all juicy morsels that a TD or Senator may be offered except when the sweetener is from the media itself. The declarations are to inform the public of what interests members have and how they may influence the decisions of Oireachtas members and most especially cabinet members. In the case of Minister Willie O’Dea and Independent News and Media we have a situation where a minister appears to be able to avail of free print space, no favours asked or expected.

In order to cover all the possible forms of inducement the form that members have to return has entries for contracts, gifts or other remuneration. but where is the questioning from our friends in the 4^th estate? Could it be that in the case of their own industry that they feel themselves to be outside the intent of the legislation?

The annual focus on share and property ownership in the returns is regarded as good clean voyeurism but free gifts to ministers in the form of print space from media organisations goes to the heart of what the declarations are meant to be about. Exposing the links to and influences from organisations on our paid public representatives.

I suppose it is much better in the public interest to look at who might have a interest in conflict diamonds. That is much more Hollywood.

NUI how to update the register – call the tax man.

Use our PPS/RSI numbers

Most students from Irish 3^rd level educational institutions will remember those ever so helpful notices in student administration offices telling us that the local social welfare offices had been informed that we were full time students just in case anyone was the slightest bit tempted to try and sign on for the dole while attending third level. Of course to do so they needed our PPS numbers or RSI number as they were called then. So the college administration have on record the PSS/RSI numbers of all students who attended and this in turn means that they have the PPS/RSI numbers of all graduates. That is one side of the problem solved, identifying who can vote.

Now who could possible know where most of these people if they still live in Ireland might be? Why the tax man of course! The revenue has the current address of all taxpayers in the state. Now if the colleges to send on those PPS numbers of graduates to the revenue naturally with the money to cover the cost of one envelope per voter containing a registration form and a prepaid envelope address. Then the revenue could send same to all those PPS/RSI holders they have on record without any concern about a breach of confidentiality. That solves the other side, identifying where people live.

Combine this with automatic registration at graduate ceremonies and we could expect to have an accurate and up to date register instead of the poor condition it is right now. Such measures would increase the registration level from pitiful 30/40% to closer to 90% in my view.

All the information is there in the system it is simply a matter of making best use of it.

Health Service "Employers" - who day?

I'm often struck by the manipulation of language in modern life. During the current dispute with the nurses, that odd grouping the Health Service Employers have been on the box every once and a while.

Now none of these so called Health Service Employers are actually employers in the real sense of the word. They are more like glorified junior vice presidents. It is the state that pays the salaries for the doctors, nurses and other staff at the hospitals. Whatever boards of management may be left over from the days when the nuns or whoever ran the hospitals aren't involved in employing the staff. We employ those working in the health service and we appoint a government every once in a while to run it on our behalf.

Also on the nurses dispute you'd swear from the HSE that there had never been a operation or procedure cancelled or delayed prior to the nurses dispute starting. Thing again strangely the INO isn't saying much about that either.

Declaration of Oireachtas members interests

Get them while they are hot.

Dail members Seanad Members

I would say that Willie O'Dea has a question over his form.

There is a remarkable (hence my remarking on it) lack of consistency about this, some reps list their Dail income as occupational income many others don’t are they supposed to or not? I’m kind of surprised that so few own shares in anything. Maybe it is a generational thing. Though it may be that they are only required to do so if it exceeds a certain amount.

Some like Joe Costello list their SSIA while the majority appear not to list them. (I can’t imagine that the vast majority of TDs didn’t take out an SSIA)

Tony Dempsey has an apartment in Cypress (sic)! CyriUsLee! Does anyone check this record properly? I mean I recall reading the local elections expenditure reports filed with Dublin City Council and we had barefaced falsehoods such as Maurice Ahern brother of the Taoiseach saying his total spending was €750, that is on his entire election campaign. That is non-binding as I understand it meanwhile the register of Dail interests in a meant to be proper track of what people have and there is no consistency to the thing at all.

John Ellis, says he has no shares in excess of 13,000 (that is individually I take it) but his colleague Martin Brady lists the €8,400 in shares he has in the credit union. If these guys can’t fill in a form on their own interests properly then what use might they be to the average punter in helping them navigate the bureaucracy of the state.

Michael McDowell who lists below interests in 4 properties doesn’t seem to list his holiday home down the country in Roscommon that had the planning issues a while back - could be he sold it. Or is it an oversight?

"(1) Half interest as tenant in common of land adjoining home in Ranelagh. (2) 9 Manders Terrace, Dublin 6. (3) 10% interest in block in Eastpoint Office Park, Dublin 1. (4) 33 Old Bond Street, London (part ownership).

Other Information Provided: All owned jointly with spouse. "

Willie O’Dea lists nothing under either Occupational Income or Gifts or Property and Service or Remunerated Position or Contracts. So is his column in the Sindo for free and it isn’t advertising? Surely that has to be counted as a gift in either a free national mouthpiece or something he is paid for?

New PD Leader Poster Revealed

Or as Captain Flashhard might say "Slack Bowel". The other advice must be to avoid a dose of Chris Andrews as he might cause you to "throw it all away" out your rear.

That FF ad in full

Kudos to the Irish Elections guys for this one

Galway Water Situation - Bertie to act

Water, water everywhere but not a drop to drink.

This gets weirder and weirder

According to the Indo today "Senior TDs say the party will not "do a Fianna Fail" by pledging the sun, moon and stars in Enda Kenny's keynote speech to its ard fheis tomorrow night." The whole article is here

The really odd thing is this little item from my local election campaign in 2004.

If someone happens to say "We're looking out for everyone not just No.1" I'm going to taking to my bed for the rest of the weekend. Proof, it was needed I was fighting one election ahead of everyone else!

Would I lie to you?

After weeks of telling us that auction politics is bad for us the Taoiseach gave us a big dollop of the bad stuff last Saturday night. Tax cuts and spending commitments galore even if many of them are reheated from 2002 and even 1997 in some cases.

Of course he mentioned absolutely no time frame for the increases or whether or not any change in economic conditions would cause the whole lot to be reneged on.

It is like visiting your in-laws who are telling you not to eat fatty food, and then they give you a huge sticky gateau for dinner. No meat, no veg, just cake. Let's take a look at the main ones in detail.


2% off PRSI: Does the Taoiseach even know what is the difference between PRSI and income tax? PRSI is meant to fund pension and social insurance related, meanwhile the party suggested they would increase €300 per week, how do they plan to fund it? And how does this link up with Seamus Brennan's comments about perhaps having mandatory pensions

And he didn't mention if employers PRSI contributions will have to increase to compensate. Can't see that as going down well with employers.

Index linking: This would be most welcome but why did his government not do that for the first 3 years of this term? And the link to increases in "wages"? What does that meant exactly. How is that measured? Is it linked to the levels in the national agreements? How does that link to the private sector? Or is it linked to the price of a haircut?

Doubling Ph.D graduates: Really? You can commit to double the numbers in the intake but you can't guarantee the output unless the government is going to go crazy with grade inflation as well as everything else.

Pensions up to €300 per week: If inflation averages 5% per year then more than half of that increase will mean nothing to pensioners as it is eating up by general price increases. And what about heating and fuel costs? If the government had committed to program of grants for changing the heating sources to renewable sources for older people who frankly need the heat. And it would reduce the cost to them of heating in the winter.

I suspect that FF strangely have walked lock, stock and barrel into a trap. Either they lied to the media, and a media that is still smarting from

So, they lied to us for the last few weeks and they lied to the press, they lied And somehow we're meant to believe them now? Who would believe them now? The FF manifesto is One lie too many.

It is all one big lie too many. When the FF party campaigned in 2002 they said things they knew were not true, those aren't just broken promises they were in fact lies. They knew then, and we know it now. The promises from last weekend were again lies.

And who would believe them now?

Provenance of FG General Election Slogan

Christ, I'm either totally prescient or I really need to set myself up as a political consultant as soon as possible. About 2 years ago I had a conversation with someone who will remain nameless for the time being and said the key message in what we should have in a slogan was "for a change" and I sent the below in a mail (which I still have a copy of) as a follow up showing how the language should be used and progressively shortened as that time went on to build resonance over time. So, the first part was to be used 6 months out, the second 3 months, and the last one in the campaign itself.

- Just thought I'd remind you of my catchy slogan for the general. Of course, if it's catchy enough you really shouldn't need reminding!

"Isn't it time it was your choice for a change?"

"Time it was your choice for a change?"

"Your choice for a change."

Fact is that without FG there will be no change in government. It has the added advantage that you can shorten it for use in different contexts. And it is also very applicable to the issues that are driving rip-off and so on in that we lack real choice in sourcing services. -

Now have a look see at the picture from FG launch event for the Ard Fheis. Here if you have an IT subs.

I'm just hoping that FG didn't go and pay some crowd of consultants actual cash money to come up with a slogan that I actually gave them just under 2 years ago.

There again the slogan is that obvious in many ways that it could have come from anywhere, hence my thoughts about my prescient. I'm going to have to do the lotto this weekend. Oh, and tomorrow the Swallows shall slay the Dragons. Yatta!

More on the N7

I was struck by the comments in the Indo today from Evelyn Moles on the death of her sister Kate in the pile up on the N7. While she pleads with other motorists to slow and drive appropriate to the conditions in future, she is then quoted saying her sister's death could have been avoided if appropriate systems and signage were in place. It may be the paper putting words in her mouth. Full paragraph below.

"Evelyn said Kate's death could have been avoided if appropriate systems and signage had been put in place on our roads. "The Government and individual TDs need to show some leadership and put the proper systems in place that will help put an end to tragedies like this affecting families again and again.""

I'm not sure that signage was going to prevent this accident from happening. I agree that our motorway and dual carriageway system is lacking in the signage that you would find in most other European countries, but all the signs in world can't force you to ease the foot off the accelerator. Sad truth is if you hit something from the rear, cruel as it may be, you are deemed to have been at fault unless you were yourself rear ended. It seems from the early reports that pretty much everyone was going faster than they should have been on the N7 and were too close to the vehicles in front. Meaning they didn't give themselves time to react to what occurred in front of them.

As things on the road that you may come across go a fire engine is probably the brightest and loudest. If you hit a fire engine from the rear then you were almost certainly going too fast for the conditions. It is a horrible, sad waste of a young life and all the more sad for the fact that it would never have happened if she (along with everyone else) had been going that bit slower as the road conditions required on the day. I'm sure we'll see the usual lack of attention from the media when the inquests are held and the full details come out.